Cigarette cabinet



i g f@ April 7, 1931- F. .LVIERLING 1,800,035

CIGARETTE CABINET Filed Dec. 2l, 1928 ,Patented Apr. 7, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK J. VIERLING, OF MINNEAPOLIS7 MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO EDWARD L, OGILVIE, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA CIGARETTE CABINET Application filed December 21, 1928. Serial No. 327,593.

My present invention relates to a cigarette cabinet and is in the nature ot' an improvement on o-r a retinement of the cigarette cabinet disclosed and boardly claimed in my copending applicationiiled January 25,1928, under Serial Number 249,37 5.

The aims of this invention `are to simplify the construction and operation of the cigarette cabinet and to provide the same with an injector for returning an ejected cigarette to the cabinet in case the same is not removed therefrom when the mechanism of the `cigarette cabinet is again operated to prevent the ejected cigarette from being caught between fixed and movable parts of the cigarette cabinet and broken or otherwise damaged.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illust-rate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view of the cigarette cabinet principally in central vertical section and also showing cigarettes therein by means of broken lines; y j

Fig. 2 is a. view corresponding to Fig. 1 with the exception that the mechanism is set in a cigarette injectingposition;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view partly in plan and partly in horizontal section taken on the irregular line 3--3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. l is a fragmentary bottom plan View of the cigarette cabinet with some parts sectioned; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary View of the actuating lever and its fulcrum. y

The numeral 6 indicates an annular hollow pressed metal base having on its top an annular upstanding retaining bead- 7. Said `base 6 at its top is depressed at its central 'portion to al'ord a chamber 8.

A cylindrical retainer case 9V having a closed bottom 10 and an open top is mounted on the base 6 within the retaining bead 7 with its bottom 1Q resting on the top of said base and permanently secured thereto by spot welding or otherwise. The retainer case bottom 10 extends over the chamber 8 and has formed therein a large central annular opening 11 the axis oi which is at the center of said bottom.

Rigidly secured to the base `6 at the axis thereof is a short post 12 that extends up ward through the chamber 8 and opening 11 at the axes thereof. The diameter of the post 12 at the upper end thereof is reduced to form a fixed trunnion 13 and an annular shoulder 141 at the lower end of said trunnion. It will be noted that the shoulder 14: is slightly above the upper face ol the retainer case bottom 10 for a purpose that `will presently appear.

Rotatably mounted on the post 12 within the retainer case 9 is a cylindrical container 15 having a closed bottom and an open top. Formed in the bottom of the container 15 at the axis thereof, is a bore-like seat through which the trunnion 13 extends with the bottom 16 of said container resting on the shoulder 14 and supporting the container 15 with reedoin for rotation on the trunnion 13. For yieldingly holding the container 15 where set, to prevent accidental turning thereof, there is provided a friction device 17 in the form of a spring washer detach ably secured by a screw 18 to the upper end of the trunnion 13 with its peripheraledge portion hearing on the container bottom 16. This washer 17 is of concavo-convex forma` tion with its concave face turned down and the concavity thereof is such that said wash-` er is slightly flattened during its application to the trunnion 13 by the screw 18 and there to cause its pawl 23 to engage one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel 19 and impart a step of.

securing the same around the container 15. These pockets 2O are normally closed by the retainer case 9 except for an escape passageway 21 which extends the` full height of said case and of substantially the same width as one of the pockets 20. Under the rotation of the container 15 the pockets 20 are successively brought into registration with the passageway 21.

A holder 22 is permanently secured to the retainer case 9 outward of the escape passageway 21 and arranged to receive the cigarettes X one at a time as they are ejected from the pockets 20. rlhe'front wall of the holder 22 is outwardly and upwardly inclined to hold a cigarette yX therein in an oblique or tilted position with its upper end extending above said holder when the same may be easily removed therefrom.

` Cooperating with the ratchet wheel 19 for imparting steps of rotary movement to the container 15 is a spring pawl 23 carried by a. lever 24 intermediately fulcrumed on the post 12. The lever 24 extends diametriCally through the chamber 8 with its end portions extending outward of said chamber through circumferentially extended slots 25 formedk therein. Y

One end of the lever 24 projects outward Yof the base 6 through a slot 26 formed therein and is provided'with a finger piece 27. Formed on the other end of the levery 24 outwardY of the chamber 8 and within the base 6 is a cam head 28. A fixed finger piecev 29 is formed onva bar 30 which extends radially from the axis of the post 12 through the slot 26 at one end thereof, and is rigidly secured to the under side of the base 6, see `Fig. 4. The lever 24 is'yieldingly held in normal position at the opposite end of the slot 26, fromthe linger piece 29, by a coiled spring 31.

one end of which is anchored to the base 6 and the other end thereof is attached to the lever 2 4. rBytaking the finger pieces 27 and 29 between the thumb yand index linger and pressing the movable :finger piece 27 toward the fixed finger' piece 29, the lever 24 will be moved against the action of its spring 31 movement to thefcontainer 15. It may be here stated that the 'number of teeth in thek ratchet wheel 19 corresponds tothe number of pockets 2O and thatJ the pawl 23 has a slight movement before engaging oneof the teeth of the ratchet wheel `19 for a purpose that will presently appear. When the lever 24 is released, its spring 31 returns thesame to normal position and at which 4time the spring pawl 23 `rides over the ratchet wheel 19,.' During this return movement of the lever 24;, .the friction device 17 holds the container 15 against backward rotation under the action of the pawl 23 riding over the ratchet Wheel 19.`

To eject a cigarette X from one of the pockets 20 as the same is brought into registration with the passageway 21, there is provided an ejector 32. This ejector 32, Vas shown, is in the form of a flat plate hinged at 33 to the sides of the holder 22 for raising and lowering movements within the retainer case 9. Normally the ejector 32 extends in an upwardly and inwardly inclined position and is arranged to be lowered horizontally into an opening 32 provided therefor in the bottom 10 in which its upper face is flush with the upper surface of saidV bottom.l By reference to Figs. 1 and 2, it will be noted that the pockets 20 are spaced above the bot-tom l() to permit free movements of the container v15 and ejector 32, The ejector ,32 is raised and lowered and held stationary by a fixed .depending ,cam finger 35 on said ejector that extends through a cam slot 36 in the cam head 28, see Fig. 4. This cam slot 36 is designed to vcause the cam head 28 to normally hold the ejector 32 raised, as shown in Fig. 2.

During the initial movement .of the lever 24, its pawl 23, as previously stated, has a slightl movement in respect to the teeth of the ratchet wheel 23 but at which time the cam head 28 acting on the cam finger 35 moves the ejector 32 downward intothe opening 34 so that the cigarette X in the pocket 20, that is about to be brought vinto registration with the passageway 21, will be moved onto said ejector During further movement of the lever 24, its pawl 23 will engage one Vo f the teeth of the ratchet wheel 19 and impart a step of movement to .the vcontainer 15 and position another pocket 2O in registration with the passageway 21 and move the cigarette X thereon onto the ejector 32. e

llVhile the container 15 is being turned by the lever 24, the ej ect-or 3 2 is held lowered by the cam head 28. Upon releasing the lever 24, its spring 31 returns the same to normal. position. During this return movement vof the lever 24 its cam head y28 acting on the cam finger 35 raises the ejector 32 and thereby tilts the cigarette X therein through the passageway 21 and into the holder 22 where the same projects above the holder, see Fig. v1.

An injector 37 is provided for returning a cigarette X from the holder 22 tothe aligned pocket 20 in case said cigarette is not rcmoved therefrom before the lever 24 is again operated to prevent saidA cigarette from being caught between the retainer case 9 andthe side ofthe respective` pocket 2O and thereby broken or otherwise damaged.V This .injector 3'? is in the formv ofa fiat member integrally formed with the ejector 32 fat the outer edge thereof and extends perpendicular thereto. Then the .ejector 32 is raised the injector 37 is held thereby in an outwarlly inclined position and when said ejector ris lowered the injector 3,7 is moved within the passageway 21,. In 4case there is a cigarette in the isc holder 22 when the lever 24 is next operated the injector 37 will move said cigarette, which is resting on the ejector 32, back into the pocket 2() in registration with the passage way 2l before the container l5 is moved by said lever.

After a cigarette X has been returned to its pocket 2() by the injector 37 it is held by said injector during` the movement of the container and carried thereby past the passageway 2l.

From the above description, it is evident that the initial movement of the lever 24 will operate the injector to return a cigarette to its pocket 20 and thereafter impart a step of movement to the container l5 while said injector' 37 holds the cigarette X in said pocket.

Suspended with the container l5 is a removable ash receptacle 38 having an outstanding annular cover ange 39 which loosely rests on the upper edge of the retainer case 9.

Vhat I claim is:

l. In a device of the class described, two

' members, one of which is movable in respect to the other, one of said members having a pocket and the other a passageway, operating connections for the movable member to successively bring the pocket into and out of registration with the passageway, said pocket being arranged when in registration with the passageway to permit an article therein to move into the passageway, and an injector for returning the article in the passageway to the pocket in advance of a movement of the movable member to move the pocket out of registration with the passageway.

2. In a device of the Vclass described, two members, one of which is movable in respect to the other, one of said members having a pocket and the other a passageway, operating connections for the movable member to sIlccessively bring the pocket into and out of registration with the passageway, a movable ejector for causing an article in the pocket when in registration with the passageway to move into said passageway, and an injector for returning the article to the pocket in advance of a movement of the movable member to move the pocket out of registration with the passageway.

3. In a device of the class described, two members, one of which is movable in respect tothe other, one of said members having a pocket and the other an escape passageway, operating connections for imparting steps of movement to said movable member to successively bring the pocket into and out of registration with the passageway, an ejector for causing an article in the pocket'when in registration with the passageway to move into said passageway, and an injector for returning the article to the pocket in advance of a stepv of movement of the movable memi ber to move said pocket out of regist 'ation with the passageway.

a. In a device of the class described, two members, `one `ot' which is movable in respect to the other, one of said members having a plurality of pockets and the other thereof having an escape passageway, operating connections for imparting steps of movement to said movable member to successively bring the pockets into and out of registration with the passageway, an ejector for causing an article in a pocket in registration `with the passageway to move into said passageway, and an injector for returning the article to its pocket in advance of a step of movement of the movable member to move said pocket out of alignment with the passageway.

5. The structure defined in `claim l in which the injector is actuated by the operating connections.

6. In a device of the class described, two members, one of which is movable in respect to the other, one of said members having an upright open pocket and the other normally closing the pocket and having a lateral passageway, operating connections for the movable member to successively bring the pocket into and out of registration with the passageway, a tiltable ejector `for tilting an article in the pocket when in registration with the passageway into said passageway, and an in jector for returning the tilted article in thc passageway to the pocket in advance of a movement of the movable member to move the pocket out of registration with the passageway.

7. In a device of the class described. a ro tatable container having a plurality of open` pockets, aretainer case surrounding the con tainer, normally closing its pockets and having a lateral escape passageway, operating means for imparting step by step movement to the container to successively bring its pockets into and out of registration with the passageway, an ejector actuated by the operating means for moving an article in a pocket when in registration with `the passageway into said passageway, and aninjector for returning the article in the passageway to its pocket in advance of a movement of the n1ovable member to move said pocket out of registration with the passageway'.

8. The structure delined in claim 7 in which said injector is actuated by the operating means.

9. In a device of the class described, a rotatable container having a plurality of open pockets, a retainer case surrounding the container', normally closing its pockets and having a lateral escape passageway, operating means for imparting a step by step movement to the container to successively bring its pockets into and out of registration with the passageway, said operating means compris ing ratchet teeth on the container, a manually operated spring retracted lever having a pawl arranged for action on the ratchet tee-th, a tiltable ejector onto 'which` an article in .one of the pockets is moved at the time said pocket is moved into registration with the passageway, and a connection between the lever and ejector for operating the ejector to tilt the article linto the passageway.

lQrThe structure dened claim 9 in. fur,- ther combination with an injector for returning a tilted cigarette in the passageway to its pocket,V said injector being arranged to be actuated by the lever in advance of a move,- ment of the container to move said pocket out of registration with the passageway.V

.11.` In a device of the class described, a ro.- tatable container having a plurali-ty of open pockets, a retainer case surrounding the container, normally closing its pockets and having a lateral escape passageway, operating means for imparting a step by step move* ment to the container to 'successively bring its pockets into registration with Vthe passage- Way, said operating means including ratchet .c teeth on the container and a spring retracted manually operated lever having a pawl arranged fork cooperation with the vratchetv teeth, an ejector arranged to b e positioned by the lever in advance of a movement thereby to impart a step of movement to the-container to receive anv article in o ne of the pockets as it is moved into registration with the passageway yand tilt said article into the pas- Sgeway, andan injector connected for common movement with the ejector and arranged to be positioned to receive an article from one of the pockets and to be moved out oit the passageway, when the article is tilted into the passageway by the ejector,- into a position to hold ythe article in its tiltedk position and to return the article to its pocket at the time the ejectoris positioned to receive an article in the next .following pocket and in advance of a step of movement of the Vcontainer j to move said pocket out of registration with the passageway- In testimony whereof I attix my signature. c

FRANK J. vIEtL-me. 

